Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-04-30
A SOUTHERN GAME PARK.
A HUNTING PRESERVE or 4,5oo
ACRES IN LOUISIANA.
Turning a Plantation Into a Shoot
ing Place After the English Style
"A Rich Mans idea.

ing Place After the English Style
"A Rich Mans idea.
A New Orleans letter to tho New York
Sun says: Mr.. John A. Morris Of New
Orleans and New York, is seeking to
create in this State a shooting park,
preserves attached, suchas are to be found
by the hundred in Great Britain, but
which are altogether new here; and, in
carrying out this idea, which he has had
for more than three years, Mr.. Morris has
worked earnestly and Systematically.
Louisiana, once an excellent State for game,
has become an almost worthless field for
the sportsman. There is some shooting
of ducks and snipes in the swamps, but
with this exception the native game has
either been killed off or frightened away
by the negro hunters and their guns. Mr..
Morris, who is great friend of sport,
finding that there was no chance for it
here, set TO work to create game park
for himself and his friends.
He was fortunate in possessing in the
Hennen place an admirable location for
such park. This place, some 4,500
acres in extent, is fifty miles or SO above
New Orleans, on the Illinois Central Rail-
road. The country there is varied and
beautiful, rolling in gentle slopes, we'll
covered with grass, with here and there
streams intersecting it, their borders
fringed with oaks and magnolias. There
is an agreeable mingling of fields, thickets,
and groves, and more variety in the
scenery than is to be found anywhere else
in Louisiana. III the centre of the place
stands the old Hennen mansion, nearly a
century old, one of those comfortable,
old-fashioned plantation houses, to be
found only in the South, with large, airy
rooms, and open fircplaces big enough
for the largest yule logs. The house is
surrounded by the broad verandas pc
culiar to the Southern residence of former
days. There is everything near to make
life comfortable; orchards of all varieties
of fruit, hot houses, etc.
1t is the game preserves and park,
however, that are the distinctive feature
of the place. The work of transforming
this old plantation into shooting park
has been about completed, and hy this
fall it will resound with the echoes OF
shotguns. There was some game on the
place orlginally-mainly deer, quails,
doves, and native rabbits-but not enough
to afford much sport. Mr.. Morris's work
has been to supplement this by importing
game from England and from other parts
of this country. The first importations
were of pheasants, the favoritc bird for
shooting in Great Britain. Some Of these
handsome birds we're brought here more
than three years ago, and Mr.. Morris has
continued importing them Until there is
now large number in the park. Other
importations from England WIRE of park
deer, the Objectionable burrowing rabbit,
about which such row was raised !;
English partridges, and hare. A pro-
fessional game breeder came over with
them, who saw to their location in their
new home. The birds suffered severely
on shipboard, and many died; but since
they have been in their new home they
have thriven, become completely accli-
mated, and are breeding rapidly. The
rabbits in particular have made them
selves thoroughly at home here. 1t is
strange that while the English birds did
so well an attempt to establish prairie
chickens, which are quite abundant in
western Louisiana, proved failure. The
chickens are dying. Mr.. Morris is also
seeking to raise wild turkeys, once abund-
ant in Tangipahore, but lately destroyed
by the hunters by setting the tame
birds on wild turkey eggs, and he has
several large broods of this fine game
bird which will be turned loose on the
estate as soon as they are large enough. 1t
will be seen, therefore, that as far as
game goes the park affords an excellent
variety, that will furnish shooting all the
year round, including deer, hare, and
rabbit, both native and foreign, squirrels,
wild turkey, wild duck, pheasants, part
ridges, quails, doves, and such other
smaller birds as are native to this dis
tIict.
The greatest care is taken to protect tho
game from its enemies, and to keep it
within the park and to provide it with an
abundance of food The entire park is
surrounded by wire fence, so high as to
keep even most of the birds within it,
and they are so well provided with food
that it is hoped they will be satisfied with
home, and never incline to roam.
The preserves proper arc each four
acres in extent, surrounded by high board
fences. Into these the birds with clipped
wings are placed, and remain for year,
being allowed to breed.
1t has been no easy matter to assure to
the birds a sufficiency of food and water.
Although there are a number of streams
running through the place, Mr.. Morris
deemed it prudent to provide an extra
supply of water for the game in the
event of drought, and accordingly
bored number of artesian wells. These
were not wholly successful, and he has
been compelled to resort to windmills and
pumps Artificial lakes have been created,
along the borders of one of which rice
has been planted in order to attract wild
ducks. The result has been thoroughly
satisfactory, the lake affording an abuu-
dance of mallard and teal this winter.
The provisions for food seem almost
extravagant The Henncn place was for
merly valuable plantation, some 15(
negroes being employed on it. 1t is moi
to be cultivated to-day, but 800 acres arc